Thousands of Victorians marched through Melbourne’s CBD on Friday night to mark International Transgender Day of Visibility, returning to the scene of a recent confrontation in which far-right protesters performed Nazi salutes.
The protesters gathered in the rain at the State Library of Victoria on Swanston Street and heard speeches from LGBTQ community and union leaders, before heading to Victorian parliament via Bourke Street.
Organisers called for attendees to reclaim the streets after a national furore erupted when neo-Nazis attended an anti-trans rights demonstration and performed Nazi salutes on the steps of parliament.
Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming was subsequently suspended from the parliamentary party after she attended the rally, which clashed with demonstrators gathering in support of trans rights. The state government is also moving to strengthen its anti-vilification laws to ban the Nazi salute after the incident.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus and president Michele O’Neil were among the crowd that returned to the steps of parliament on Friday.
The march was peaceful and was not disrupted by anti-trans activists or other groups.
Mia Schutz-Beaton, a 22-year-old from Ringwood, attended the rally at the last minute, but didn’t want to leave as the crowd dispersed at about 7.30pm.
“I was awe-struck, standing here on the steps [of parliament] and just watching people continue to arrive,” they said.
Read the article by Lachlan Abbott in The Age.